Leadership: God’s Plan of Success for Executives Shembull

Joseph: COO of Egypt, Inc.

One of the more interesting stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph. His career path to COO of Egypt, Inc. can be summarized like this:   

• Sold by his brothers (Genesis 37:28)   
• Hired as a slave for Potiphar Inc. (37:36)   
• Eventually promoted to General Manager (39:4-6)   
• The owner’s wife wants an affair, he refuses (39:7-12)   
• Wife claims assault; is fired & goes to jail (39:17-20)   
• Works his way up to Assistant Jail Manager (39:22-23)   
• Side job: Consultant, Dream Interpretations (40:5-8)   
• Gains top-level interpretation job (41:12-14)   
• Interprets dream, gives matching Business Plan (41:25-36)   
• Appointed as COO, Egypt Inc. (41:39-40)

Joseph’s trend of success continued as second-in-command in the Egyptian empire – even his introduction of a new 20% national income tax for all citizens was happily received! (Genesis 47:23-26)

But why did God grant Joseph so much success, and how does that apply to your work today? Before we uncover why God granted so much success to Joseph, let’s take a closer look at Joseph’s behavior and characteristics in the workplace:

Always Doing His Best; Never Complaining. Sidelined from favorite son to slave in a foreign country, framed for assault, fired, and jailed – no matter what happened, Joseph always did his best in whatever situation he found himself in and never complained.  

Maintaining Integrity. Early on, Joseph had the opportunity to steal, to take advantage of his second-in-command position at Potiphar Inc., and even to enjoy worldly pleasures with the board executive – Mrs. Potiphar – herself. When he refused, Joseph was fired and jailed following legal action taken on the basis of false claims (Genesis 39:6-20).

Glorifying God, Not Himself. When things went well for Joseph, he gave credit where it was due – glorifying God for insights and wisdom given, even when presenting consulting insights to others who didn’t even acknowledge the existence of God (Genesis 41:16).

No Politics, No Grudges. Following his promotion to COO, Joseph had the opportunity to bring justice back to those who wronged him in the past, but he never held any grudges, and never played any politics – even where the world would say he had every right to do so (Genesis 45:4-7).

Trust & Patience. Joseph’s career took some pretty strange turns along the way, including at least 2 years in jail. Even so, Joseph did his best and trusted God for the rest. 

So why did God bless Joseph, and what does that mean for you today?  Check what the Bible says: 

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.  – Genesis 39:2-4

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.  – Genesis 39:20b-22

The Bible says that Joseph’s success came about because God was with him. There is no suggestion or reference that Joseph was blessed because of anything that Joseph did or believed, but just because God was with him. 

Next, we’ll look at Daniel – also a COO in Bible times – and find why God blessed him. 

Reflection / Application   

1. Would you say that God is with you at your work? How do others see this?    
2. Joseph exhibited a long list of what we might label as “good” characteristics and work behaviors. Do you agree that those are a symptom of God being with him?    
3. Doing the right thing and giving glory to God like Joseph did can be difficult. Reflect on the last time you missed the mark, and then ask God to come into that area of your work also. Be sure to seek forgiveness through Jesus also.